“I'm not evil.”
“Okay, no, you're not. That woman was an extreme bitch. After the King dies—which is really suspicious, if you catch my drift—she tries to kill Snow White because her mirror tells her that Snow White is prettier than she is.”
“A bit extreme.” He made a face.
“Yeah, no shit. Anyway, the princess runs away and hides out in the forest with seven dwarves who mine for diamonds.”
“Seven dwarves?”
“Yup.”
“All men?”
“Yup.”
He snickered and looked at his knights.
“One human female and seven Chelli?” Vadron widened his eyes. “I don't think they spent much time mining. At least, not for diamonds.”
“Rude!” I pointed at them. “This is a children's story!”
“You entertain children with stories of vain, murderous queens?” Kaspian stopped walking to stare at me.
I stopped and so did the cat. We stared back at Kas.
“Children are more hardcore than you think,” I said. “They like to hear about villains who get punished in the end. It helps them sleep better to know that bad guys don't get away with shit.”
“So this evil queen gets punished?”
“Yeah. I can't remember how, though. I think Prince Charming kills her.”
Kaspian shook his head and started walking again. “Enough with your fair tales. They are not so fair.”
“Fairytales,” I corrected him. “Fairies are teeny-tiny people with insect wings who live in flowers.”
He shot me a look that said I was full of shit.
“We'll leave that for another time.”
“Do you like jewels, Mate?” Kaspian waved at a jewelry shop.
“Uh . . .” I looked at the sparkly things and winced. “Not really. I'd just get nervous about losing it.”
Kaspian grinned. “You have no need of adornments anyway. You are too handsome for that.”
My feet slowed to a stop.
Kaspian got a step ahead before realizing it. Then he turned back to me. “What is it?”
I grabbed his face and hauled him into a kiss.
When we eased apart, Kas smiled tenderly at me. “My consorts have always responded best to gifts. Usually jewels. But you kiss me for a simple compliment.”
“I'm not in this for a payout. I'm in it for you. For us. So, yeah, I prefer a compliment to a pretty stone any day.”
“Again, you prove how wise the mating magic is.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
